Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in New Hope, southwest Jamaica, hitting the Caribbean island with winds of up to 295 km/h, making it the strongest storm ever to hit the country.

Over the next few hours, the Category 5 hurricane will make landfall in Jamaica and then move toward the eastern coast of Cuba, where it will weaken.

The US National Hurricane Center warned that parts of Jamaica could receive up to 40 inches of rainfall and a"life-threatening storm surge."

The Red Cross has warned that the hurricane will directly affect up to 1.5 million people, with sudden sea level rise, flooding and landslides expected.

Officials in other Caribbean countries are also on high alert tonight as Melissa has reached the shores of Jamaica and is moving north.

The hurricane is forecast to move toward Cuba as a Category 4 storm. Cuban officials said yesterday that they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from areas vulnerable to winds and flooding.

Around midnight, Melissa will continue to move towards the Bahamas and by then will have weakened to a Category 2 hurricane.

Bahamian officials also issued mandatory evacuation orders for residents living in several areas.